Men's hockey signs three to National Letters of Intent
April 20, 2017 | Men's Hockey
Defensemen Ess and Kalynuk, forward Weissbach expected to join Badgers in the fall
MADISON, Wis. – Head coach Tony Granato announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Thursday. The three signees include defensemen Joshua Ess (Lakeville, Minnesota) and Wyatt Kalynuk (Virden, Manitoba), as well as forward Linus Weissbach (Gothenburg, Sweden).
"They are all elite," Granato said. "We are looking to upgrade our skill. I think the one thing the group has, in general, is that they are competitors and character guys. They are all good leaders. We are looking for them to be impact players right away."
Ess, a 5-11 and 185-pound defenseman, will arrive in Madison after his senior year at Lakeville South High School in Lakeville, Minnesota. He finished his senior year with eight goals and 28 points in 23 regular season contests. He then scored three goals and five points in three sectional playoff games, before he added two goals and an assist in the state tournament, to finish with 13 goals and 36 points in 29 games.
Following a high school campaign that finished with an Associated Press All-State Third Team nod, Ess skated in two games with the USHL's Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, collecting one assist.
As a junior at Lakeville South, Ess posted nine goals and 29 points in 27 contests. He had seven goals and 23 points in 26 games as a sophomore.
"He is straight out of high school and we were going to bring him in at a later time, but we liked his game and decided we wanted him to come in now," said Granato.
"Josh makes the simple play, the right play, 90 percent of the time," associate head coach Mark Osiecki said. "He likes to play the give-and-go game. He is a very, very high-level passer. It is on the forward's tape quickly. He's a very intelligent hockey player."
Kalynuk, a 6-1 and 185-pound defenseman, paced his Bloomington Thunder in scoring among defenseman with 31 points on six goals and 25 assists. Playing in all 60 of Bloomington's games, he finished fifth on the Thunder and seventh among all USHL defensemen with 31 points. His six goals and 25 assists both tied him for eighth among the league's rearguards.
He recorded a pair of three-point games this season, as he tallied three assists on Nov. 5 in Cedar Rapids and scored a goal and two assist on Dec. 31 against Chicago. Kalynuk was earned USHL Defenseman of the Week honors on Jan. 2.
Kalynuk will be the first Manitoba native to join the Badgers since Morden, Manitoba, native and goaltender Duane Derksen played at Wisconsin from 1988-92.
"He's a very smart two-way defenseman," Granato said. "He sees the game very well. He'll have the opportunity to be a power-play guy as soon as he gets here. Just a solid player."
Associate head coach Mark Osiecki added, "his vision is one of his very, very big strengths. He knows where his other four teammates are on the ice pretty much all the time. You watch him play, his ability to bring the puck out of the zone and get it to the forwards is very appealing.
"He played three years in the USHL so he arrived young. As a defenseman, you have to find your way through the league and navigate it. The experience he has gained in the USHL will serve him well."
Weissbach, a 5-9 and 168-pound forward, led the USHL's Tri-City Storm with 19 goals and 47 points in 49 games, good enough to share 16th in USHL scoring. He also led the team with four game-winning tallies, including a pair in overtime. His 28 assists also put him in the top-20 among all USHL players. He recorded 12 multi-point games over the course of the season, including a pair of three-point performances – Jan. 6 against Des Moines and March 4 against Fargo. Weissbach finished the season with points in five of his last six games, including nine points (3G, 6A) in that span.
Along with Kalynuk, Weissbach was named to the All-USHL Third Team
Weissbach ranked 139th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings after not appearing on the Midterm Rankings.
"Great skill," Granato stated. "Offensively, he had a tremendous year in the USHL. He is going to be an exciting player to watch. He's going to add a ton of speed to our lineup, and a lot of offense."
Osiecki added, "His strengths are his explosiveness, high skill level and he can do things skill-wise at a high pace. He is a goal scorer. He has a really good nose for the net, but his pace of play is fun to watch. It is going to put other teams on their heels."
The trio join four early signees expected on campus in the fall. The early signees include brothers and forwards Sean and Jason Dhooghe, defenseman Tyler Inamoto and forward Tarek Baker.
WISCONSIN'S 2017-18 SIGNEES
"They are all elite," Granato said. "We are looking to upgrade our skill. I think the one thing the group has, in general, is that they are competitors and character guys. They are all good leaders. We are looking for them to be impact players right away."
Ess, a 5-11 and 185-pound defenseman, will arrive in Madison after his senior year at Lakeville South High School in Lakeville, Minnesota. He finished his senior year with eight goals and 28 points in 23 regular season contests. He then scored three goals and five points in three sectional playoff games, before he added two goals and an assist in the state tournament, to finish with 13 goals and 36 points in 29 games.
Following a high school campaign that finished with an Associated Press All-State Third Team nod, Ess skated in two games with the USHL's Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, collecting one assist.
As a junior at Lakeville South, Ess posted nine goals and 29 points in 27 contests. He had seven goals and 23 points in 26 games as a sophomore.
"He is straight out of high school and we were going to bring him in at a later time, but we liked his game and decided we wanted him to come in now," said Granato.
"Josh makes the simple play, the right play, 90 percent of the time," associate head coach Mark Osiecki said. "He likes to play the give-and-go game. He is a very, very high-level passer. It is on the forward's tape quickly. He's a very intelligent hockey player."
Kalynuk, a 6-1 and 185-pound defenseman, paced his Bloomington Thunder in scoring among defenseman with 31 points on six goals and 25 assists. Playing in all 60 of Bloomington's games, he finished fifth on the Thunder and seventh among all USHL defensemen with 31 points. His six goals and 25 assists both tied him for eighth among the league's rearguards.
He recorded a pair of three-point games this season, as he tallied three assists on Nov. 5 in Cedar Rapids and scored a goal and two assist on Dec. 31 against Chicago. Kalynuk was earned USHL Defenseman of the Week honors on Jan. 2.
Kalynuk will be the first Manitoba native to join the Badgers since Morden, Manitoba, native and goaltender Duane Derksen played at Wisconsin from 1988-92.
"He's a very smart two-way defenseman," Granato said. "He sees the game very well. He'll have the opportunity to be a power-play guy as soon as he gets here. Just a solid player."
Associate head coach Mark Osiecki added, "his vision is one of his very, very big strengths. He knows where his other four teammates are on the ice pretty much all the time. You watch him play, his ability to bring the puck out of the zone and get it to the forwards is very appealing.
"He played three years in the USHL so he arrived young. As a defenseman, you have to find your way through the league and navigate it. The experience he has gained in the USHL will serve him well."
Weissbach, a 5-9 and 168-pound forward, led the USHL's Tri-City Storm with 19 goals and 47 points in 49 games, good enough to share 16th in USHL scoring. He also led the team with four game-winning tallies, including a pair in overtime. His 28 assists also put him in the top-20 among all USHL players. He recorded 12 multi-point games over the course of the season, including a pair of three-point performances – Jan. 6 against Des Moines and March 4 against Fargo. Weissbach finished the season with points in five of his last six games, including nine points (3G, 6A) in that span.
Along with Kalynuk, Weissbach was named to the All-USHL Third Team
Weissbach ranked 139th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings after not appearing on the Midterm Rankings.
"Great skill," Granato stated. "Offensively, he had a tremendous year in the USHL. He is going to be an exciting player to watch. He's going to add a ton of speed to our lineup, and a lot of offense."
Osiecki added, "His strengths are his explosiveness, high skill level and he can do things skill-wise at a high pace. He is a goal scorer. He has a really good nose for the net, but his pace of play is fun to watch. It is going to put other teams on their heels."
The trio join four early signees expected on campus in the fall. The early signees include brothers and forwards Sean and Jason Dhooghe, defenseman Tyler Inamoto and forward Tarek Baker.
WISCONSIN'S 2017-18 SIGNEES
| NAME | POS. | SHOT | HT | WT | HOMETOWN | CURRENT TEAM |
| Joshua Ess | D | L | 5-11 | 185 | Lakeville, Minn. | Lakeville South H.S. |
| Wyatt Kalynuk | D | L | 6-1 | 180 | Virden, Manitoba | Bloomington Thunder (USHL) |
| Linus Weissbach | F | L | 5-9 | 168 | Gothenburg, Sweden | Tri-City Storm (USHL) |
| Prior Signings | ||||||
| Tarek Baker | F | L | 5-10 | 184 | Verona, Wis. | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) |
| Jason Dhooghe | F | L | 5-8 | 165 | Aurora, Ill. | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) |
| Sean Dhooghe | F | R | 5-3 | 139 | Aurora, Ill. | U.S. Under-18 Team (NTDP) |
| Tyler Inamoto | D | L | 6-2 | 196 | Barrington, Ill. | U.S. Under-18 Team (NTDP) |
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